Tag Archives: clerkships

jump right in or watch and learn: standing out In Clerkships

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How do you choose between jumping in with both feet vs. watching and learning?

  • Listener Jordan DM’d to say that she’s having trouble finding the right balance of initiative and observation in her clerkships. To stand out, should she jump into situations and try to contribute? Or is it better to step back and observe?
  • M2s Trent, Bridget, Maddie, and Yumi discuss their ideas about it, and we ask some faculty and experienced students to weigh in.
  • Plus, a dumb folktale by chatGPT offers us the story of radiologist Dr. William his magical radiograph-reading chicken Clara.

More about our guest:

Website URL Social Media URL Amazon URL [URL template for episode https://media.blubrry.com/theshortcoat/podcast.uiowa.edu/com/osa/CHANGETHIS.mp3]

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What Jobs to Med Students Actually Do in their clerksh?

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The medical student’s jobs may be less than sexy, but they’re important.

Medical students are both learners and an important part of the teaching hospital labor pool. Recently, Dave realized he doesn’t actually know–what are their actual jobs? And how do they find out what they are?

In general the job is to both learn medicine and be helpful. There are many tasks that belong to no particular person, and students can take advantage of this by being there to jump in and take on the job. Whether it’s getting that cup of water or calling another hospital for a patient’s records, someone’s got to do the unsexy stuff. By taking on that task that no one else has time for the student frees up a nurse, a resident or an attending for the more complex tasks. Like teaching! Perhaps as important, that student has an opportunity to demonstrate their can-do attitude and get that all important positive comment on their evaluation to show their prospective residency programs as they apply for jobs.

M3s Nick Lind and Emma Barr, and M4s Holly Conger and Joyce Wahba join Dave to share what they’ve learned, and show that even if you’re not the brain of the operation, even if you’re just a kinesin dragging your vesicle around a cell in between the hospital’s toes, the least glamorous task is a lifesaver to someone.

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Making Clerkships Work

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Are clerkships a grind, or a boon?  It’s up to you.

change photo
Photo by m.a.r.c.

The second-year students are moving from the pre-clinical curriculum to the clerkships this week.  This transition is exciting–after all, seeing patients is what they’ve come to medical school to do, and now it’s finally happening.

Pat Brau, Kylie MIller, Brady Campbell, and Levi Endelman discuss some of the things they’ve learned in their Transition to Clerkships week, and Dave has some advice for them on how to get the most out of clerkships and how to get good evaluations for their ‘dean’s letter’ that will make them shine for future residency directors.

This Week in Medical News

Of course, one thing that is helpful if you’re seeing a patient is being able to tell if they’re truly sick.  That becomes second nature at some point, but even lay people can do it.  That skill will come in handy for those in California who subscribe to the idea that raw water is a good idea.

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Transitions are exciting and tough…what makes changes easy or harder for you? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Their Patients Won’t Know What Hit Them.

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stress photo
Oh, wait…never mind. Photo by Celestine Chua

Second-years Kaci McCleary, Marc Toral, Corbin Weaver, and Aline Sandouk are about to finish their didactic studies in the curriculum and embark on their clinical clerkships!  At long last, they get to work with patients.  Among the questions they face: is it better to put yourself out there during clerkships?  Or keep your head down? And are they nervous? Maybe a little, but there was plenty of health news this week to distract themselves with, including a Harvard study that provides evidence that one’s stress and one’s health may be unrelated.

Continue reading Their Patients Won’t Know What Hit Them.

1970s Personalized Care?

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Personalized medicine?  Or weird power dynamics?
Personalized medicine? Or weird power dynamics?

Senuri Jayatilleka and Eric Wilson have clawed their way to the surface of the M3-year waters to take a breath, and are ready to update Lisa Wehr on what they’re doing (and have been told they should do) to prepare for their fourth year (‘the promised land’) and matching. Time off, here they come! They share what they’ve learned about presenting patients, and the role the white coat plays in their education (hint: never let them see you sweat).
Continue reading 1970s Personalized Care?

Local coverage: Opportunities for third year students in Des Moines

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This episode introduces students to the Des Moines Area Medical Education Consortium‘s group of hospitals,  and the unique opportunities available to third-year students at the Carver College of Medicine who can take advantage of a year-long rotation in Iowa’s capital city.  Dr. Steven Craig, the executive director of the DM Consortium, talks with Natalie Ramirez about what the benefits and opportunities exist for M3s in our state’s capital city.

Listen now: Opportunities for Third-Year Students in Des Moines.

The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.